MOTORSPORT: Kris Meeke gears up for Monte Carlo Rally

The 2016 FIA World Rally Championship gets off to a glamour start with the Monte Carlo Rally and defending champion Sebastien Ogier heads the entry list, with his Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala second. Andreas Mikkelsen will drive a third Polo R under VW's Motorsport II banner.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Jan 2016, 17:40 BST
Updated 20th Jan 2016, 17:44 BST
Kris Meeke.Kris Meeke.
Kris Meeke.

Kris Meeke and Stephane Lefebvre will make their first appearance for the new Citroen-supported Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team, while Italian privateer Felice Re rounds off the WRC runners in a third DS3 World Rally Car.

Meeke. who will start at number seven, said: “2016 is not just a new season, it is the start of a new chapter in my career. I am extremely

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pleased to be competing at the Rallye Monte-Carlo with the Abu Dhabi Total WRT.

“Obviously, I am not in the same situation as the other WRC drivers. I do not feel like I am under a great deal of pressure, mainly because we are not aiming for a particular result at the end of the season.

“At the Monte-Carlo, and at the other rallies, I will be looking to do my very best and get as much experience as possible. Although there are a few new stages, the course seems to be pretty similar to 2015.

“The major imponderable is the weather,” he added.

“If the cold conditions persist, I should have a lot of snow and ice on the stages. Instinctively, it is a rally that I love because it sums up all the excitement of the start of a new season. But when you get to the service park and you have to make a tyre choice that will inevitably involve a compromise of some kind, the love can sometimes turn to hate.

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“If I manage to have an error-free race and make the right calls, I think I should not be too far away from the podium.”

Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo are the two registered drivers of the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team and both will pilot the much-anticipated new 2016-spec i20 WRC.

The M-Sport World Rally Team will run Fiesta RS cars for its new driver line-up of Mads Ostberg and Eric Camilli.

There are also Fiesta RS World Rally Cars for Lorenzo Bertelli, Ott Tanak and Former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, who will return to the WRC despite uncertainly surrounding his 2016 plans late last year.

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There is a fabulous fight in prospect in the WRC2 category, which has attracted 16 entries and a mix of cars that includes R5 spec machines from Ford, Skoda, DS and Peugeot.

Teemu Suninen, Armin Kremer, Julien Maurin and Lambros Athanassoulas head the Skoda R5 runners while Quentin Giordano, Jourdan Serderidis and last year’s JWRC winner Quentin Gilbert will drive DS 3 cars. Also in the mix will be Welshman Elfyn Evans, who heads the Fiesta R5 entries after two seasons in an RS World Rally Car.

There are nine entries in the opening round of the WRC 3 competition. Former works driver Francois Delecour, Finnish rising star Esapekka Lappi and Max Vatanen are among other notable drivers entered into the event.

Local rally fans will get the opportunity to see Vatanen in action on the Circuit of Ireland Rally just after Easter.

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The rally, which this year commemorates its 84th running, gets underway from Place du Casino in Monte-Carlo later on Thursday with a 90 plus entry.

On the local scene, Kirkistown is the venue for the New Year Stages on Saturday and Kenny McKinstry heads the entry with his Subaru WRC.